Radio Repeaters

[hudson144 150]

Scarsdale FD recently recieved $15,000 for a repeater system to help with communications. Radios are a important item in the fire service and often a problem for most depts. A repeater system is really needed in the citys where buildings block the signals.Any depts here in Westchester have repeaters?

[CPAGE 2]

White Plains

Yonkers

New Rochelle

Eastchester

99.9% on the county with the new system.

As for stand alone depts. that have disp for them selfs without a repeater is FDMV as well as most of the county for dispatch but I do beleave they all have the repeater to the county as well does FDMV.

Cpage

Edited July 5, 2008 by CPAGE

[efdac 1]

eastchester

[CAM502 6]

There is no repeater to the county...just the trunked system. MV really does need a repeater...I can name 5 different locations in the city where the portables don't get through. And one very large building!!

[CPAGE 2]

There is no repeater to the county...just the trunked system.

A trunk system operates in the same manor as a repeater but the trunk system has more channels to use and it operates for better distance.

Repeater System= Transmit on one freq and recieve on a second freq.

Simplex= Transmit on the same freq. ie. tx 154.445 rx. 154.445

Edited July 5, 2008 by CPAGE

[CAM502 6]

The trunked system is more than a repeater, but fine I'll give you that one. I am aware of the difference between simplex and repeaters. My main point was that MV needs a local repeater!!!

Edited July 5, 2008 by DOC22

[TR54 239]

More on Scarsdale FD switch to UHF.

• July 5, 2008

SCARSDALE - The Fire Department will soon be able to get rid of a vexing communication problem.Although the department's two-way radio system provides "satisfactory" coverage throughout the village, lapses inside some commercial buildings in the downtown shopping district as well as many schools and churches are an occasional problem.

A $15,000 grant from Curry MacWilliams Janitschke Underwriters and the Fireman's Fund Insurance Co. will allow the department to purchase a radio "repeater" system to create more consistent communication between firefighters.

http://www.lohud.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080705/NEWS02/807050338

[Tickfighter 0]

It helps tremendously to understand how your radio system works. Repeaters should not be used for fireground operations unless it is extremely critical due to issues like high rise's. Line of sight simplex is the best for most operations. We've had a repeater for nearly 8 years now and still can't get the "management" to understand its operation. First to criticize about it...last to want to understand how it works. Then again isn't that the management style many of us are subjected to...."if I don't understand it, or don't know anything about it..its terrible or doesn't work or won't work here. If I don't agree with it or it doesn't fit into my philosophy I'll ignore it...or blame the union.

[SteveOFD 176]

The lohud.com article stated "The department had allocated about $50,000 to transition from VHF portable radios to new UHF radios, but later found that it would need about $65,000 to complete the installation in all 11 vehicles the department uses." Is this project just for portables or also apparatus radios? If this does include apparatus radios, why couldn't they program their UHF freq into the conventional bank of the trunked radio? Also checked the FCC Database and found that the Village of Scarsdale is not licensed, or have any pending applications, for operation in the UHF band.

[Remember585 815]

The lohud.com article stated "The department had allocated about $50,000 to transition from VHF portable radios to new UHF radios, but later found that it would need about $65,000 to complete the installation in all 11 vehicles the department uses." Is this project just for portables or also apparatus radios? If this does include apparatus radios, why couldn't they program their UHF freq into the conventional bank of the trunked radio? Also checked the FCC Database and found that the Village of Scarsdale is not licensed, or have any pending applications, for operation in the UHF band.

I think their plan is to use UHF portables, that go back into the rigs (as needed) via a pyramid or other repeater, back out on their VHF freq. This is what I remember last I spoke to one of them about this (months ago).

I've never understood why everyone thinks a repeater solves everything. I agree it will improve things, but it takes more than just putting a repeater at your transmitter site. A good example is my own area. The PD has always had communications issues on their VHF-Hi thanks to the many rock cuts and iron ores in our area. To help minimize their "dead zones," they have upgraded to higher wattage vehicle radios and a few "voters" or "compariters" around the Village. Route 9 for us (as well as Montrose FD, SP, etc.) is a bad area. Even on the trunked system there are spotty areas of coverage along Route 9 between Ossining and Peekskill. For us, we have a voter on Sky View Nursing Home to help with our communications, as does CPD. It has helped quite a bit, but as you continue north it gets bad again.

If you have them means to do so, my advice is to always try and use a mobile radio as opposed to a portable radio. A mobile packs a bigger punch (say 40 - 100 watts) as compared to a portable (4 or 5 watts). This is one reason we try as often as possible to keep the IC at their vehicle (or any apparatus) so they not only have a better radio to communicate with, but have access to multiple radios to coordinate things on.